Michael Bauman’s Pilgrim Theology (Summit, 2007):
. . . young theologians are right to believe that if they write with candor, imagination, or creativity about certain theological realities many doors will close to them. They will not be able to make a living. They will not be allowed to participate in the life and activities of various important institutions and professional societies. Participation in new research and in publication programs will be denied them. Influential people will be alienated, and the opinion that a particular young theologian is unsound and unsafe will be disseminated quickly, widely, and slanderously — all under the pretense that evangelical scholarship is objective, reflective, and teachable. Pressure is exerted either to accommodate (i.e., to dissemble) or to leave: ‘We’ll have none of that kind of thinking around here!’ they are told. Those who agree, and those who can and do accommodate, become the teachers of the next generation; and they perpetuate this sinister tyranny on those who follow. Those who do not accommodate are excluded and are believed to be the enemy. The danger to truth and to integrity can hardly be greater. In theology, as in politics, there are dictatorships it is our sacred duty to oppose, if not overthrow
There are, of course, boundaries that should be honored. The problem is when people are assaulted and crushed for staying within the boundaries and following the rules of the discipline to arrive at a conclusion that upsets the formal or informal rulers of the discipline.
Theology is a unique game because the referees are unashamed to be found to have money bet on the outcome.